The ARIA Awards are done and dusted for another year, with Genesis Owusu and The Kid LAROI making the biggest splash at the 2021 ceremony. I’ve got to say, I really like the awards online. I love seeing them commercial-free and appreciate the opportunity to watch the entire event, not just the awards deemed popular enough for airtime. World music, jazz, blues, the work of engineers and producers, it all deserves to be celebrated.
However, I felt this year’s award ceremony was missing those moments that become talking points. As I sat through the highlights from past years, I marvelled at some of the top collaborations. I understand the pandemic is still impacting these kinds of events (although there wasn’t a mask to be seen at the party!), but with last year’s star-studded performance of “I Am Woman” we saw how well we could navigate these extraordinary circumstances. Props to the performers who did give it their all, especially the outstanding Genesis Owusu and Budjerah, but I would have loved to see something really unexpected.
Judging by the YouTube comments on the stream, I wasn’t the only one surprised when the event wrapped up around 8:30. I know it’s a school night, but I would have loved to see the event shifted to a later start and finish time. In case you missed it, here are all the winners:
Album Of The Year: Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Best Artist: The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist: Budjerah – Budjerah (EP) (Warner Music Australia)
Best Dance Release: RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Alive’ (Rose Avenue Records/Reprise/Warner Music)
Best Group: RÜFÜS DU SOL – ‘Alive’ (Rose Avenue Records/Reprise/Warner Music)
Best Pop Release: The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Best Hip Hop Release: Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Best Soul/R&B Release: Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Best Independent Release: Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Best Rock Album: Middle Kids – Today We’re The Greatest (EMI Music Australia)
Best Adult Contemporary Album: Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting (EMI Music Australia)
Best Country Album: Troy Cassar-Daley – The World Today (Tarampa Music / Sony Music)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album: Tropical F**k Storm – Deep States (TFS Records/Virgin Music)
Best Blues & Roots Album: Archie Roach – The Songs Of Charcoal Lane (Bloodlines/Mushroom)
Best Children’s Album: Bluey – Bluey The Album (Ludo Studios / Demon Music Group / BBC Studios / Rocket)
Song of the Year: Spacey Jane – Booster Seat (AWAL Recordings)
Best Video: Missing Piece – Vance Joy, Annelise Hickey (Liberation Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Australian Live Act: Lime Cordiale – Relapse Tour (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Most Popular International: Taylor Swift – Evermore (Universal Music Australia)
Music Teacher Award: Zoë Barry – Sacred Heart School, Melbourne
Best Cover Art: Kofi Anash & Bailey Howard for Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth (OURNESS / AWAL)
Engineer Of The Year: Konstantin Kersting
Producer Of The Year: Konstantin Kersting & The Rubens
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album: Angus & Julia Stone – Life Is Strange (BMG/WMG)
Best Classical Album: Genevieve Lacey and Marshall McGuire – Bower (ABC Classic / Universal)
Best Jazz Album: Mildlife – Automatic (Inertia Music / [PIAS])
Best World Music Album: Joseph Tawadros – Hope In An Empty City (Independent / The Planet Company)